A Refreshing Story: the Tax-Dodging Yacht (more)

A Refreshing Story: the Tax-Dodging Yacht, the Illegals, and the Coast Guard
By David North, July 29, 2010

Once in a while it is nice to see the wealthy and pampered – like tax-dodging, yacht-owning citizens and their illegal immigrant sidekicks – zapped just like the sweltering peasants at the Arizona border.
That's what happened on Long Island Sound to – I kid you not – the Rich family, their 63-foot private vessel, and two illegal aliens. It was all in the New York Times on July 27.

The story revolves around a 28-year-old woman named Gaea Rich, a fashion designer for Ralph Lauren, whose advertisements always feature stunning, highly-prosperous-looking WASP models.

Ms. Rich, her new boyfriend, David Quinn, and 13 others on July 4th were steaming into Oyster Bay on the North Shore of Long Island when a Nassau County police boat, complete with Coast Guard and Customs officers, stopped the yacht, which was flying a foreign flag. The Coast Guard has unlimited powers to stop such vessels in U.S. waters.
The officers "seemed to be unfamiliar with the flag" according to a quote by Ms. Rich in the Times, wanted to see the cruising license of her uncle who owned the boat, and wanted to inspect the immigration papers of everyone on board.

Soon they found that Mr. Quinn was an illegal alien from Ireland of several years standing, and that a catering worker from Guatemala was also illegal. In what I regard as a revealing sidelight, we were told a lot about Mr. Quinn, but no one could remember the name of the lady from Guatemala.

The two illegals were removed from the ship and both are due to be deported.
There's more to the story.

One of the reasons that the officers may not have recognized the flag is because it is from a small and obscure Caribbean state, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (the only nation in the world with a name that sounds like that of a rock band). That flag, and I hope the reader has a color monitor, looks like this.

And why was an American-owned vessel flying the flag of St. Vincent and the Grenadines? The Timescarried this explanation: "It is frustrating for those with foreign flags, said the manager of a luxury marina in the Hamptons, who insisted on anonymity to avoid offending any of his clients. But, he added, 'they really can't complain because the reason they're foreign flagged is to avoid paying taxes.'"
According to the report, Mr. Quinn had arrived in the States on a visitor's visa in 2003, joined several siblings who had become U.S. citizens and never, apparently, did anything about his immigration status, though a sibling could have filed papers on his behalf.

How did Mr. Quinn meet Ms. Rich? It is a quintessential story of the wealthy part of Manhattan, an assertive, well-to-do young woman, and a presumably handsome Irishman. This is how the Times describes it:

The romance began in late March when Ms. Rich spotted Mr. Quinn, 30, tending his horse and carriage on Central Park South [presumably at the famed Plaza Hotel], near her office. She returned a few days later with a friend, and rented his carriage for a spin around the park. "We were the last ride of the day, and invited him to come up to a bar after he'd finished stabling his horse," she recalled. "It was a romantic night."
There's only a handful of places in urban America where you can find the luxury of horse-drawn carriages for hire.

The article reported that a Franciscan priest intervened in the case, and managed to secure what sounds like a volunteer departure for Mr. Quinn, giving him 45 days to wind up his affairs prior to departure. No such break was engineered from the hapless, nameless lady from Guatemala.

The reporter of this fetching story, Kirk Semple, probably is well aware of the lifestyle of prosperous and prominent New Yorkers. Semple is not a common name. When I was a minor cog in the LBJ Administration, I knew a then-young reporter for the Times, who was later an editor there, Robert Semple. I suspect they are related.

If there is a broader lesson to this story, it is this: presidents, secretaries, and commissioners come and go but there remain substantial bits and pieces of the government that continue to enforce the immigration law, like the Coast Guard officer in this case, and like the rank-and-file agents of the Border Patrol. Thank goodness for that.
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http://cis.org/north/tax-dodging-yacht

Prime Minister sues Opposition Leader for slander

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has filed a writ in the High Court seeking damages from Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace over statements he allegedly made during a 15 day period last month.

Attorneys for the Prime Minister said that the slanderous statements were made “on each and every day between 9th and 24th February”.

In seeking “aggravated damages for slander” Gonsalves said that the statements were repeated in “paid advertisements broadcast by the (opposition) New Democratic Party (NDP) on the instructions and/or directives of the defendant amongst others”.

Further, the Prime Minister is also contending that the offending statements were made during a news conference held on February 17.

In addition, Gonsalves is also asking the courts to issue an injunction preventing Eustace “whether by himself, his servants, and or agents….from further speaking or publishing and or causing the publication of the said or similar words defamatory of the claimant”.

The Prime Minister is seeking costs and “any other further relief as the courts think fit”.

http://www.caribbeandailynews.com/st-vincent-prime-minister-sues-opposition-leader-for-slander/

Caught on a Yacht--In Oyster Bay

Illegal Immigrants Caught on a Yacht, in a Web of Maritime Laws
By KIRK SEMPLE
Gaea Rich and her family were in full holiday mode aboard their yacht on the Fourth of July as they motored from Stamford, Conn., across Long Island Sound and into Oyster Bay, off the North Shore of Long Island.

The trip, with more than 15 relatives and friends, was supposed to be the high point of a weekend family reunion. But a few hours into the cruise, after what began as an apparently routine stop by a marine patrol of local and federal law enforcement officials, two passengers — a Guatemalan caterer hired for the day and Ms. Rich’s boyfriend, David Quinn, an Irishman who had worked for years as a horse-carriage driver in Central Park — were taken away on a police boat by federal immigrationofficials. Both men were illegal immigrants; they now face deportation.

The yacht had been caught in a web of laws, little known outside the maritime community, that are meant to keep a tight leash on vessels that are registered in foreign countries or have traveled in international waters. And the boarding and interrogations on a pleasure craft came as quite a surprise to passengers.

“We couldn’t believe it,” recalled Ms. Rich, 28, a fashion designer for Ralph Lauren. “Everyone was just shocked.”

The boat is registered in the Caribbean nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and owned by Ms. Rich’s uncle. He keeps the boat moored mostly in American waters: Stamford in the summer and Florida in the winter.

Many American yacht owners register their boats in foreign countries, often for tax purposes. That was her uncle’s reason, said Ms. Rich, adding that her uncle did not want to be interviewed or identified.

Federal maritime law requires that foreign-flagged vessels contact customs officials when they arrive at American ports, even if arriving from another American port. Immigration officials are permitted to board foreign-flagged vessels anytime, said Officer John F. Saleh, a spokesman for United States Customs and Border Protection. Coast Guard officials, who joined in the stop, are allowed to board any vessel at any time in American waters.

Maritime laws and their enforcement have tightened since 9/11. In the past several years, for example, the Coast Guard division on Staten Island — which patrols New York Harbor, the western half of Long Island Sound and the southern Hudson River — has stepped up its scrutiny of smaller foreign-flagged vessels, said Charles Rowe, a spokesman for the Coast Guard in New York City.

Mr. Rowe said that under the program, “Operation Small Fry,” Coast Guard officials, along with federal and local law enforcement personnel, have boarded about 750 such boats a year, to enforce customs, immigration and maritime laws.
Several marina managers in the New York area said they had heard complaints from exasperated owners and operators of foreign-flagged yachts about repeated boardings and laborious permit regulations.

It is frustrating for those with foreign flags, said the manager of a luxury marina in the Hamptons, who insisted on anonymity to avoid offending any of his clients. But, he added, “They really can’t complain because the reason they’re foreign-flagged is to avoid paying taxes.”

The owners and operators of the largest yachts are well acquainted with the rules and their enforcement, maritime experts said. “These guys are prepared for this stuff,” said Lucy Reed, editor of The Triton, a monthly magazine read largely by the captains and crews of private yachts. “They know what they need to have, for the most part, to cruise in U.S. waters.”

It was unclear whether Ms. Rich’s uncle had been aware of the rules.

The July 4 incident began about 1:30 p.m. when a boat operated by the Nassau County Police Department pulled alongside the 63-foot yacht as it entered Oyster Bay. On the police vessel were customs and Coast Guard officers, Officer Saleh said; he did not provide more details about the stop. The Nassau police said they were assistingCustoms and Border Protection and referred all inquiries to that agency.

Ms. Rich said the officers seemed unfamiliar with the St. Vincent flag, “and wanted to see my uncle’s cruising license.” Immigration officials took one catering worker, a Hispanic woman, to a room below deck and interviewed her for about half an half before determining that she was in the United States legally, Ms. Rich said.

The officers then asked all the other passengers — some of them foreign citizens with green cards or work visas — for government-issued identification. When Mr. Quinn and the catering worker were unable to produce proof that they were in the country legally, the officers took them below deck, Ms. Rich said.

Mr. Quinn “came up after 20 to 30 minutes and he said, ‘I guess I’m going home,’ ” she recalled. “And I said, ‘You’re joking, right?’ ” Mr. Quinn’s expected deportation, Ms. Rich said, has severely complicated their budding relationship. The romance began in late March when Ms. Rich spotted Mr. Quinn, 30, tending his horse and carriage on Central Park South, near her office. She returned a few days later with a friend, and rented his carriage for a spin around the park.

“We were the last ride of the day, and invited him to come up to a bar after he’d finished stabling his horse,” she recalled. “It was a romantic night.”

Ms. Rich said she soon learned about Mr. Quinn’s immigration status. He had arrived in the United States in 2003, joining several siblings who had become American citizens, and overstayed his tourist visa.

Mr. Quinn’s brothers asked the Rev. Brian Jordan, a Franciscan priest and an immigrant advocate, to help with the case. Father Jordan said he was indignant that the two men had been detained, considering recent directives by Immigration and Customs Enforcement giving priority to the apprehension of criminals.

“This is New York State,” Father Jordan said, “This is not Arizona.”

Federal immigration officials would not comment on the case. On Thursday, after requests by his lawyer, Zachary Sanders, and lobbying of the Department of Homeland Security by Father Jordan, Mr. Quinn was released for 45 days to prepare for deportation to Ireland.

Mr. Quinn said in an interview on Monday that he was hoping to find a way to remain in the United States. If unsuccessful, he said, he would accept the deportation and try to return legally. “I’m doing the best that I can,” he said.
He said that he was held in the same detention center, in Elizabeth, N.J., as the catering worker, but that the worker was not granted a similar temporary reprieve. (Neither Mr. Quinn nor Ms. Rich knew the worker’s name.)

Mr. Quinn said that he had not considered trying to legalize his status through marriage, as some immigrants do.

“I was waiting for the right woman,” he said. “And this is what happened to me: a bit of bad luck. And I thought the Irish had the good luck.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/nyregion/28yacht.html

Africa to end isolation of Cuba

By Angelo Izama July 27 2010 at Kampala

“I urge the AU to issue a strong statement to end the isolation of Cuba,” said Namibian leader Hifikepunye Pohamba shortly after African Union Chairman Bingu Wa Mutharika invited some leaders to speak at the AU Summit opening ceremony on Sunday. He was supported by South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma. “I stand up in support of Namibia,” President Zuma said to a round of clapping.
Mr Mutharika then concluded that from the generous handclapping the proposal had been accepted in principle. Many countries including Nigeria, Angola and Libya had also expressed support for an end to Cuba’s status as a pariah in the West and asked that they get together to word a statement on Africa’s position.

Weeks to the conference, Libyan Leader Muammar Gadaffi invited 13 ‘African Diaspora’ states from the Caribbean region, among them Cuba, to the summit. Yesterday the group was represented by Makerere University-trained Prime Minister of St. Vincent, Ralph Gonsalves.

Citing the influence on him by Ghana’s iconic independence leader, Nkwame Nkrumah, and Nelson Mandela, Dr Gonsalves said Cuba had made heroic contributions to Africa’s liberation. He said Cuban armed forces fought selflessly in Angola and elsewhere. “When the soldiers left, then came doctors and nurses”. In a veiled attack of Africa’s experience with Europe and America, he then added that the Cubans did not leave with “gold or oil”.

“I am not making an ideological point. I simply speak the truth” he said. The decision to support diplomatic efforts to end Cuba’s isolation, including decades of US sanctions against the communist nation, is a coup for Cuba at the summit. Havana dispatched its foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez to Kampala.


http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/965328/-/x2nly2/-/

Comments From The Right

Bill Wells July 23, 2010 at 21:10

All this and the notice a few years ago (2007) that Venezuela purchased an entire factory from the Russians to build AK-47s to entire the world’s arms business. The world could mean many of its neighbors.

Chuck Hill July 23, 2010 at 23:29

The AK-47 plant has to have been a bad business decision, since AK-47s seem to be a “glut on the market” with all the old soviet era ones forcing the price down.

Seriously I can understand one country lead by a crazy, but I hate to see other countries seeming to be moving in that direction. That is very discouraging.

Bill Smith July 24, 2010 at 00:13

As an aside on the AK deal — the plant is actually building AK-103s which are a vastly updated system. Basically, it’s the AK-74 with a new/modified gas system (that improves reliability), black plastic furniture (which is better to resist jungle humidity) with a side-folding buttstock, and a resin-reinforced magazine system. The 103 version has all the updates with the throw-back caliber of the original 7.62 x 39mm. I’ve got an AK-108 which is the same thing, chambered in 5.56mm NATO. It’s an extremely reliable rifle. Better than my ARs and Sig 556. I’ve choosen it over all other assault rifles for my SHTF rifle.

My bet is the reason for this arms deal was so that Venezuala could have internal control and supply for their small arms needs. Not to mention that they can now supply rifles and ammo to FARC or anyone else in central/south america where they can cause trouble. So, it’s not really a bad business decision – they’re getting the best, most up-to-date version of the highest-reputed combat rifle in the world (each one worth more than a container full of 40-yr-old, worn-out, village-gunsmithed AKMs from Africa), and internal control over production regardless of US sanctions…

All of this is just symptomology that there is a major war brewing in So. America. Only real question is when, and how it all falls out. At this point, I’d say the pot is simmering. A few bubbles or rumbles or shaking of the lid from now and then, but if the heat keeps going up, we’ll see that pot boil over. Definitely before Chavez gets too old or in danger of being removed from office.

http://cgblog.org/2010/07/23/trouble-in-latin-america/comment-page-1/#comment-7559

Straight Talk On Race

The issue of race and racism in America is a painfully uncomfortable subject for both blacks and whites.  Therefore no one is willing to honestly address it. President Bill Clinton tried to approach the subject when he appointed John Hope Franklin as his administration Race Czar but, this well intended objective on the part of President Clinton turned out to be just another failure in the attempt to heal America of its racial strives. Blacks and whites continue to engage in polite and superficial relationships whereby we don’t communicate honestly with each other on the subject of race.  We are afraid to be honest in our communication because, we don’t want to offend each other with the comfortableness of the race issue.  We keep up this façade until something happens like the Shirley Sherrod debacle and then all hell breaks loose. 
 
Shirley Sherrod, the most recent collateral sufferer in this ongoing race war, was a longtime employee of the United States Department of Agriculture where she was tasked with providing help to distressed farmers in Georgia who were at risk of losing their farms.  Ms. Sherrod was prematurely and improperly forced to resign from her job due to claims that she is racist against white farmers in Georgia.  These claims were found to be false, but this was after the damage was already done.  Ms. Sherrod was an unwitting victim of a war alleging racism between the Tea Party and the NAACP.  The Tea Party Movement, which has become a formidable power in the political process here in the United States, have been plagued with claims of racism, especially, since a reported incident that alleged to have occurred during a March on Washington, DC on September 12, 2009.  During this March, members of the Tea Party Movement were alleged to have hurled racial epithets at black congress members.  One black congressman reported being spat on by a member of the Tea Party during this melee.  The Tea Party has denied these claims.  Andrew Breitbart, who is described as a conservative blogger, is reported to have been very vocal in trying to dispute claims that Tea Party members are racists.  He reportedly offered a reward for videotape footage of the alleged September 12, 2009 incident.  However, no videotaped evidence of the allegations was revealed.  Therefore, Mr. Breitbart asserts that the lack of such proof demonstrates that the reported incidents did not occur. 
 
On July 14, 2010, the NAACP voted for a resolution to repudiate the Tea Party for being a racist organization.  This resolution by the NAACP infuriated members of the Tea Party Movement and prompted Tea Party supporters to fight back against the NAACP.  Ms. Shirley Sherrod became a weapon in this fight when Andrew Breitbart edited a videotape speech that she made at an NAACP event to indict the NAACP on racism.  This doctored video clip was posted on Mr. Breitbart’s website on July 19th and it was immediately picked up the Fox news and other networks.  According to numerous reports, Ms. Sherrod was ordered on that very same day that the networks picked up the story, via text messaging from the Obama Administration, to immediately resign her post with the Department of Agriculture.  It later turned out that the video was doctored and that Ms. Sherrod was not guilty of being a racist.  The Obama Administration and the NAACP had egg all over their faces because they treated Ms. Sherrod as a suspect who was guilty until she was proven innocent.  This treatment of Ms. Sherrod by the Obama Administration has opened up new wounds in the already heated and tense race relations here in the United States.  Many African Americans contend that Ms. Sherrod was not offered the same protection under the United States Constitutions of “being innocent until proven guilty.”  They feel that this treatment is consistent with the “Second Class” citizenship that African Americans appear to hold here in the United States.
 
Despite being a leader in world issues, America is seriously behind other third world countries when it comes to dealing with issues of race and racism.  Growing up in the St. Vincent and the Grenadines, I have never experienced any of the racial attitudes, with which I have been confronted here in the United States.  As I have mentioned time and time again, my mother was the child of an Irishman and a black woman.  My father was the child of an Irishwoman and a Portuguese man. Although my parents have obvious differences in their skin colors, it was never a focus.  The differences in their skin colors were similar to the differences in the shapes of their noses.  As Caribbean people, we obtain our identity from the nation. Therefore, I would be defined as “a Vincentian” because, I was born in country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines while someone who was born in Jamaica would be defined as a Jamaican.  There are Jamaicans and Vincentians of Caucasian ancestry as well as Jamaicans and Vincentians of African Ancestry.  Then there are people, like myself who derived from multiple ethnic groups.  Race and ethnicity is not a dominant factor in our daily relationships.  Relationships are established based on Socio-economic factors rather than race and ethnicity.  However, I would not incur strange stares from individuals if I were to tell them that I have two Irish grandparents and one Portuguese grandparent.  They can look at me and tell that I am “mixed,” but the bottom-line is no one really cares about that.
 
If America is serious about improving race relations, blacks and whites will need to start engaging in honest conversations about issues of race.  Both white people and black people must be able to talk about their feelings honestly with each other without an explosion.  Like American blacks, Caribbean blacks were also subject to slavery.  However, some argue that slavery in the Caribbean was not as harsh.  I will not attempt to debate this issue because each individual react to any given experience differently and I will not try to make light of anyone’s suffering.  I do believe, however, that Caribbean blacks may have been able to move on because many were able to empower themselves socially and economically.  I suspect that some of the disparate treatment that blacks in America endure due to lower socio-economy status may have more to do with their inability to overcome some of the pain that slavery and its residue have caused.  The continued denial of opportunities to them is somewhat like pouring salt into an open wound.  Some blacks are careful about honestly speaking about their hurt feelings because they do not want to offend.  Some whites become offended anytime blacks mention the word slavery.  They seem to feel that blacks are labeling them as racists. However, because the subject is “explosive” they would rather resort to subtle hostility rather than open confrontation of the issue.  In communication, we are taught that often the way the message is received by the listener is not how it was intended by the speaker.  But with the issue of race, since we are not willing to dialogue, we are just left with our assumptions which are often erroneous.  As a black individual, I may ask an all white group if they have any black members not because I am accusing the members of being racists, but because I am interested in finding someone who might share my cultural experiences. I think we can all agree that no slave master or slave is alive today.  Therefore, whites should not feel any personal guilt for slavery as blacks shouldn’t feel any personal shame.  Yes, we must admit that slavery was destructive to African people.  It took them from their homeland into a foreign land and as a result they suffered many losses.  It is unfortunate that it happened, but it is over and we must learn to get past it.  The process of getting past it will require that we talk openly about it without people becoming offended.  Psychologists encourage victims of traumatic experiences such as rapes and other horrible traumas to empower themselves by talking about it.  Blacks are going to have to talk about it so that they can get it out of their systems and heal themselves.  Whites must understand that when blacks talk about slavery, they are not assigning blame to them.  We know that none of the white people alive today owned slaves.   Some of your ancestors came here after slavery was abolished, and for those whose ancestors owned slaves, you bear no blame in the game.
 
 Some blacks may argue that some white people today benefited economical from their white ancestors’ enslavement of their black ancestors.  To you, I would say with all due respect, this maybe the case, but you ought to move on.  The British and other colonial empires reaped all of the economic resources from the Caribbean Islands and then they walked away.  One of the principles that we learn early in life is “life is not fair,” but we must always work towards making it a little fairer.  My grandfather who was Portuguese had a great amount of wealth.  Some of this wealth was bequeathed to his children, including my father.  I don’t know if some of my grandfather’s wealth was derived from slavery.  It could have, but the truth is, it does not concern me.  None of us could go back into history and change anything about it.  We must use the lessons of the past to ensure that we do not repeat the same mistakes as we move forward to the future.  In America, there are really two groups of people, “the haves” and the “have not.”  As Shirley Sherrod discovered, poor white people and poor black people have a lot in common.  They are all struggling to put food on their tables and to survive.  The issue of race is a surface distracter which keeps us divided while the rich continues to get richer and the poor continues to die.  It is high time for us as Americans to reach out to our neighbors and embrace our commonalities while respecting our differences.   

Helena R Edwards http://profile.typepad.com/6p0120a5b9b659970b

Circumlocution and CARICOM

Posted By Stabroek staff On July 23, 2010 @ 5:01 am

It is 65 years since the end of the Second World War. To be precise, the war in Europe ended on May 8, 1945, when the Allied Forces formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany and the war in the Pacific ended with the announcement of Japan’s surrender on August 15. After six years of total warfare, the world was at last at peace. Today, at a time when the so-called War on Terror has been waged since the 9/11 atrocities and the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have been going on for nine and six years respectively, this does not seem such a long time. World War II was however an all-consuming phenomenon in which practically the whole globe, including the Commonwealth Caribbean, was involved.

Western historians generally consider WWII a just war, as the Allies had no other choice but to resort to the use of arms to rid the world of the murderous, militaristic regimes of Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo. American historians in particular have been prone to describing the Allied victory as a triumph of democracy over totalitarianism. There is some truth in this, but the truth, as we know, is usually the first casualty of war and the real facts are not always that clear-cut.

History, of course, is generally written by the victors and can hardly ever be considered to be entirely free from bias, if not manipulation. Thus, it is curiously convenient for purveyors of Western triumphalism and Marxist-Leninist sympathisers alike to disregard Soviet totalitarianism and Stalin’s genocide against the various peoples of the USSR in the context of the common cause against the Third Reich. Nonetheless, even with the passage of time, the revelation of new facts and the widening of perspective, there is little gainsaying that WWII had to be fought and that the right side won.

But what is the legacy 65 years later, particularly with regard to Europe? A rebuilt Europe, courtesy of the Marshall Plan, and a more secure Europe, thanks to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and in spite of the tensions of the Cold War, led to unprecedented growth and prosperity in the 1950s and 60s and a desire for greater integration in Western Europe. The European Union today owes much of its original thrust to the notion of “never again” and the quest for a lasting peace following the carnage of two world wars. And with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the collapse of the Soviet Empire, the EU continues to thrive and expand, notwithstanding the current economic uncertainty.

Now what does all this have to do with our Caribbean Community? The foregoing may seem rather circumlocutory to some, but there is a direct connection between the end of WWII and the fortunes of our region. These continue to be linked to the UK and Europe for longer than many of us would have anticipated or wished at the time of Independence, as we emerged from the shadows cast by the sun setting on the British Empire in the aftermath of a conflagration that had created a new global order. But can we honestly say, as many Europeans might be tempted to, that we have seen the lasting light of a bright new age?

It would be naive to think that, as we shed the colonial chains, we should have moved forward apace with Europe. But why do we appear to have made so little real progress when Europe has been able, by and large, to put the pain and suffering of the 20th century behind it?

Instead of working together to fulfil the promise of Independence, what do we do? We blame our former masters for under-developing us and replacing servitude with dependency, as we once more turn to them, cap in hand. We rail against our apparent fate to be forever small, poor and downtrodden; we revel in the mindset of the victim and we blame others for our divisiveness.

This is not good enough. Should we not be the makers of our own destiny? Should we not accept that just as Rome was not built in a day and the EU itself is a work in progress, we must persevere with our CARICOM project, even as our leaders balk at the type of enlightened, bold and selfless decision-making necessary to secure the integrity and future of what Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent likes to call “our Caribbean civilisation”?

Europe, of course, had massive help to get back on its feet and has the advantage of centuries of development. And the long-term security of Europe was strategically important to world peace. We cannot and should not wish for a war to rescue us from geopolitical irrelevance and economic oblivion, even as our young, fragile nation states are being undermined by narco-traffickers and organised crime. We simply need to refine the strategic vision of our place in the hemisphere and the world to ensure that we are taken seriously. We can only do this in concert with each other.

We pay lip service to the maxim that in unity there is strength, yet we cannot summon the will to rescue CARICOM from the doldrums of official inaction and public apathy. The regional project was never meant to be an overnight task and, as has been previously noted, it is not for the faint of heart. We must find the urgency to make the quantum leap forward, without further circumlocution and prevarication, to implement the Single Market and Economy and put in place the necessary governance structures to ensure its success.

65 years may be a long time for some, but we should remind ourselves that it is 52 years since the creation of the West Indies Federation, 45 since the organisation of the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA), 37 since the establishment of CARICOM and 18 years since the visionary recommendations of the West Indian Commission. We really should have our act together by now otherwise whoever writes the history of this period may not judge us kindly.

Article printed from Stabroek News: http://www.stabroeknews.com

URL to article: http://www.stabroeknews.com/2010/editorial/07/23/circumlocution-and-caricom/

Birthday of Sellassie

Rasta community to celebrate
SVGToday 7/22/10

Tomorrow is the birthday of Haile Selassie the first, and the local Rastafari movement is preparing to hold a number of activities to mark the birth of the man they consider as their God.

Ideisha Jackson, a member of the Rastafari community said that said the activities will be aimed at lifting the consciousness of persons in relation to Haile Selassie.

Persons interested in celebrating with the local Rastafari community can journey to Club Voltage opposite Vinlec’s Power Station at Cane Hall on Saturday afternoon. Jackson said activities will be held to entertain the youths while they will seek to reaffirm the importance of Haile Selassie to the Rastafari movement.

US$20 million loan from ALBA

ALBA provides multi-million dollar loan to St Vincent
By admin on 7/21/10 • Categorized as Economy

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has returned from a one-day visit to Venezuela and said that the island will receive a US$20 million loan from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA).

Gonsalves said that the funds are in addition to an earlier loan of US$20 million given by ALBA bank earlier this year.

He told reporters that St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ membership in ALBA is in keeping with his administration’s foreign policy that focuses on “concentric circles”, placing the island within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and ALBA.

Gonsalves said that Cuba and Venezuela were the island’s main trading partners in ALBA and that a trade mission from Caracas would visit here on August 9.

“St. Vincent and the Grenadines wants to send commodities in which they (Venezuelan businesses) are interested and some agro products,” Gonsalves said.

He said it was also likely that the mission would be interested in purchasing bananas and as a result a meeting had been held with Renwick Rose, the Chief Coordinator of the Windward Islands Farmers Association (WINFA).

He said the Venezuelan delegation would also be taken on a tour of the Argyle International Airport, now under construction. Venezuela is among the major donors to the project.

http://www.svgtoday.com/

Art Movie Delayed

Kindly note that the Opening Ceremony of the Art Movie Festival scheduled for 4:30pm today Monday July 19th 2010 has been postponed to WEDNESDAY JULY 21st  2010 at 4:30pm at Heritage Hall in the Carnegie Building.  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience, and look forward to you joining us on Wednesday.
 
 
 SVG National Trust Secretariat
P.O. Box 1538, Heritage Hall,
Carnegie Building Kingstown, St. Vincent
Phone numbers: (784) 45-12921
Email:  svgntrust@vincysurf.com or svgntrust@gmail.com
 

Vincy Animals

A list of the species found on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with pictures, can be found at:

http://www.arkive.org/countries/saint_vincent_and_the_grenadines/common

CUMBERLAND TRAIL

CUMBERLAND TRAIL
Located in the upper Cumberland Valley, the Mountain trail was once used by villagers as part of linking to the upper Vermont Valley. The area was popular for the movement of animals, and was a “Mourning” ground for the Spiritual Baptists Religion. The Forestry Department acquired some lands from farmers in the 1960’s and this assisted significantly in maintaining the trail. The reforestation involved the planting of trees like Caribbean Pine and Blue Mahoe. The Cumberland Trail is also one of the habitats for the St. Vincent Parrot (Amazonia Guildingii).

DESCRIPTION OF SITE/ATTRACTION & FACILITIES
The Cumberland Nature Trail is rested in the Cumberland Valley, traversing a variety of Forest Vegetation and Farm lands. At the initial section, the trail runs next to a wooden water pipe transporting water to a hydro-electricity power plant located in the Cumberland Valley. Its biggest attractions are however the rain forest and the opportunity for bird-watching both endemic species and other wildlife. The trail is between one and a half and two hours hiking.

Facilities at Cumberland Nature Trail include:
Trail Washrooms Ticket Booth Lookout Point Exit Shelter
Length: Approximately 2.5 miles At a relatively moderate pace the trail takes approximately 2hours to complete.

THE ABOVE INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY THE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AND NATIONAL PARKS RIVERS & BEACHES AUTHORITY

Bourdain in SVG

You can find comments at:

http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f6/anthony-bourdain-no-reservations-travel-channel-st-vincent-grenadines-219833/

A book on LIAT



On Wednesday, July 14, 2010, a book of historical and contemporary significance on LIAT was launched in Barbados.  It is entitled Don’t Burn Our Bridges: The Case for Owning Airlines and published recently by the University of the West Indies Press.  It is authored by Dr. Jean Holder, the former distinguished head of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and currently the innovative Chairman of the Board of Directors of LIAT.  By training and experience, Dr. Holder has no equal in the Caribbean or elsewhere to write such a book, a point made in the volume’s Foreword by Professor Hilary Beckles, the Principal of the Cave Hill Campus of the UWI.

The book, too, is about more than LIAT, since it also examines broadly the state of the airline industry in the Caribbean and its umbilical connection to tourism.  But it is largely about LIAT.  

The volume reeks with a robust, thoughtful nationalism, and its title reflects, summarily, that perspective in the interest of our Caribbean civilisation.  It is a “must read” to anyone interested in public policy in our region.

Over thirteen chapters and nine appendices, Dr. Holder enriches immeasurably our understanding of LIAT and the regional air transportation industry.  The chapters traverse the following subject areas: The case for Caribbean carriers; the history of the main regional air carriers; comparative financial performance of Caribbean and international airlines; the options for cooperation between regional airlines; the LIAT case study; the LIAT-Caribbean Star merger and the negotiations with Star’s owner, Sir Allen Stanford; the issue of the circumstances when an airline monopoly is justifiable; deregulation, fare setting, and oil prices; the year 2008, the worst in civil aviation history; the 2008 economic crisis and the region’s response; Caribbean tourism and air transport; and air transportation in the CSME’s future. 

The nine appendices cover a range of statistics relevant to LIAT, air transport, tourism, airplanes, and LIAT itself.  They constitute a rich harvest of relevant information for policy makers and the general public.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines and saving LIAT

Dr. Holder rightly highlights the roles of the ULP administration in ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES and Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves in the saving and restructuring of LIAT.  Let Dr. Holder’s words speak:
“In reality, LIAT became largely dependent on the Antigua and Barbuda government until a government led by the Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves was elected in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  

Prime Minister Gonsalves became a strong supporter of LIAT and won the support of Barbados for the cause.  Speedwing’s call for EC $26 million from governments only yielded EC $2.6 million from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  Prime Minister Gonsalves was also responsible for bringing other private sector resources on board.  He later took the lead in the hiring of Zwaig Financial Consultants of Canada, whose sound advice, delivered  largely through Cameron Mc Caw, was to prove a major turning point for LIAT.  By 2004, the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines had become LIAT’s largest shareholder with 25.26 percent of the shares, ahead of Barbados with 22.19 percent, and Antigua and Barbuda with 18.38 percent”.

In fact, Dr. Holder does not record everything here about ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES’s initial material contribution: The figure is not $2.6 million but $2.9 million in equity plus $2 million in LIAT’s bonds purchased by the state-owned VINLEC, and some $6 million, which LIAT owed ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES in landing fees and taxes was converted into preference shares in the company for ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES.  

Nevertheless, we thank him for highlighting the role of the ULP government and the Comrade in saving LIAT in those dark, rough days.

Dr. Holder goes on further to state:
“The period from 2000 to 2004, which included the horrors of 9/11, was one of the most difficult on record for regional and international air transport.  Cost inputs into air transportation, especially those relating to safety, security and insurance, began to escalate exponentially.  The launch of Caribbean Star in 2000 had been followed by that of Caribbean Sun in 2003, operating out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and also competing with LIAT on some of its routes.  It was later discovered that both Caribbean Star and Caribbean Sun were suffering huge losses; but thanks to Sir Allen Stanford’s deep pockets, seemed totally unaffected by their losses”.

In the light of some recent negative sounds emanating from Trinidad and Tobago about the use of the CARICOM Petroleum Stabilisation Fund (also known as the CARICOM Petroleum Facility), it is useful to record its assistance to a vital regional entity.  Dr. Holder addresses this matter, thus:
“In 2004, LIAT’s Shareholder governments (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines) provided LIAT with EC $21 million; and in the first quarter of 2005, they persuaded the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, with the approval of the CARICOM governments, to provide LIAT with a grant of EC $44 million from the CARICOM Petroleum Stabilisation Fund.  This was a major achievement by Prime Ministers Arthur, Spencer and Gonsalves, since initially, Prime Minister Manning was adamant that his government would provide no further support to LIAT.  What brought about the change of heart in a session behind closed doors would probably be interesting to listen”.

Actually, Ralph Gonsalves was the person who was primarily responsible for persuading Manning.  Arthur and Manning had clashed verbally in the wider meeting with government officials and LIAT’s Board.  Ralph called for “time out” and a private session.  He placed LIAT within a regional context, raised the possibility of a nexus between LIAT and BWIA, and traced the historic role of the Caribbean’s titans including Dr. Eric Williams in keeping LIAT in the air.  Ralph’s personal friendship with Patrick Manning since university days helped.  Later, Owen Arthur was to applaud Ralph for a splendid performance.  Our Prime Minister, as Chairman of LIAT’s shareholders, was entrusted with the task of persuading all the CARICOM Heads of Government about using EC $44 million for LIAT.  It was quite a task.  It took PM Gonsalves ten days to do so.  This experience told him a lot, positive and negative, about CARICOM.

Purchase of Caribbean Star

In 2007, the losses incurred by Caribbean Star, in excess of US $35 annually, compelled Stanford to “sue for peace” with LIAT.  He realised that he was unable to win in a battle with three strong-willed Prime Ministers and the people of the region.  All of Stanford money could not purchase our nationalist leaders.  To buy the assets of Caribbean Star (which did not cost a great deal) and to assist in LIAT’s further restructuring, LIAT’s three shareholder governments borrowed US $60 million from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).  Barbados was responsible to repay US$35M million; Antigua and Barbuda, US $20 million; St. Vincent and the Grenadines, US $5 million.  St. Vincent and the Grenadines insisted on the application of the principle: Equity among equals, proportionality among unequals.  St. Vincent and the Grenadines had taken LIAT out of trouble, seen off a dangerous competitor in Stanford, and was now prepared to assure a lesser though still significant financial burden.  In the process, Barbados became the largest shareholder; Antigua-Barbuda, the next; and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the smallest shareholder government.  Ralph Gonsalves remained the Chairman of the Shareholders, given his historic role in the saving of LIAT.

All of this and more is in this informative book by Dr. Holder.

LIAT as a monopoly

Dr. Holder defends the near-monopoly status of LIAT as a good thing for the region.  Some monopolies are good; others are bad.  Holder’s case for LIAT is overwhelmingly strong and convincing. 

It is more than time for the other Caribbean governments to provide LIAT with market support or to put equity capital in it.  LIAT is too vital to be left to three governments.  More money is needed right away for fleet renewal!

From The Vincentian

http://www.thevincentian.com/dcmain.aspx?p=0&i=5348&skin=38&tID=198

Diplomat wants US to back evidence

ST VINCENT-POLITICS-Diplomat wants US to back
evidence on human trafficking allegation
By CMC - Thursday, July 15th, 2010

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Camillo Gonsalves, is calling on the United Sates to say where it got its evidence of human trafficking in the multi-island nation.

The United Sates State Department has placed the island on its “Tier 2 Watch List” of “countries whose governments do not fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards”.

But Gonsalves said the attitude of the United Sates reflects “backwards thinking”.

“They say, for example that St. Vincent and the Grenadines has not prosecuted anybody for trafficking in persons. Therefore there must be trafficking in persons. That is as if you say St. Vincent and the Grenadines has not prosecuted anyone for biological weapons therefore we must have biological weapons; St. Vincent and the Grenadines has not arrested any member of the Taliban therefore we are supporting the Taliban. That sort of approach is backward thinking...” Gonsalves said.

“You and I know on the ground that there is no trafficking in person happening in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Gonsalves told journalists.

The United States, in its 2010 TIP report, said St. Vincent and the Grenadines “is a source country for some children subjected to trafficking in persons”.

It said those children were specifically for the purpose of sexual exploitation within the country and that SVG may also be a destination country for women in forced prostitution and men in forced labour.

“Reporting suggests that Vincentian children may participate in commercial sexual exploitation to supplement their families’ income,” the report said, adding that in those alleged situations, parents, relatives, or other care-givers receive in-kind or financial compensation or other benefits from a child engaging in sexual activities.

The report said there were suggestions that the number of victims trafficked allegedly trafficked to, in or through SVG “is comparatively small” but said information on the reported trafficking “is lacking, as the government has conducted no related investigations, studies, or surveys”.

But Ambassador Gonsalves said that Washington is “trying to prove a negative”.

SVG NATIONAL TRUST SUMMER BUS TOUR

BE PART OF THE SVG NATIONAL TRUST
SUMMER BUS TOURS!
Journey with us to the CUMBERLAND TRAIL
ON
SATURDAY JULY 17TH  2010
Please note that bus now leaves from Aunt Jobe’s car park and not the National Trust Headquarters (the Carnegie Building) at 8:30am
Cost: ONLY EC$25.00
BRING ALONG YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS!
Seats are limited so be sure to book early call us at 451-2921 / 533-0752
or email us at
 svgntrust@vincysurf.com
or
svgntrust@gmail.com
SVG National Trust
Secretariat
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Movie Postphoned

Kindly note that the Opening Ceremony of the Art Movie Festival scheduled for 4:30pm today Wednesday July 14th 2010 has been postponed to Monday July 19th 2010 at 4:00pm at Heritage Hall in the Carnegie Building. We apologize for any inconvenience.


SVG National Trust Secretariat
P.O. Box 1538, Heritage Hall,
Carnegie Building Kingstown, St. Vincent
Phone numbers: (784) 45-12921
Email: svgntrust@vincysurf.com or svgntrust@gmail.com


Conserve our Sea Turtles
Close Season in St. Vincent & the Grenadines: March 1st – July 31

PThink about the environment, before printing.
You control climate change: Turn down. Switch off. Walk. Recycle.

Opposition files injunction

TUESDAY, 13 JULY 2010 21:18 CALVIN G. BROWN

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, CMC – Lawyers for the main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) have filed an injunction preventing the three member Elections and Boundaries Commission from publishing a notice relating to the extension of the electoral constituencies in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

But Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, in a brief statement, said his government would proceed with plans to extend the electoral constituencies from 15 to 17 on the basis of the mandate given by Parliament earlier this year.
He said by a majority vote in Parliament on March 4, the constituencies in the multi island state were increased by two and a three member Elections and Boundaries Commission was appointed to investigate parameters for the extension and to make recommendations.

Gonsalves said that the members of the commission met regularly and have completed their work but the Opposition has filed a an injunction in the court  “to arrest the publication”.
Prime Minister Gonsalves said the court has assented to the injunction and will deal with the matter on Tuesday.

But speaking on the NDP sponsored call in radio programme, NEW Times, Opposition Leader, Arnhim Eustace, said the report of the Elections and Boundaries Commission was signed by two of the three members while the opposition’s representative on the Commission refused to sign it and submitted a minority report.
Eustace said he is pleased that the court has agreed to grant the injunction, adding that the NDC took the position it did because it did not want a recurrence where two years ago, the government prepared a gazetted publication over the weekend to retroactively legislate the introduction of an unpopular fee for persons using the Grenadines Wharf.

General elections are constitutionally due in St. Vincent and the Grenadines by March 2011 and political observers say the additional seats could decide the outcome of the polls.

CMC/jt/pr/10

SVG NATIONAL TRUST SUMMER BUS TOUR

BE PART OF THE SVG NATIONAL TRUST
SUMMER BUS TOURS!
Journey with us to the CUMBERLAND TRAIL
ON
SATURDAY JULY 17TH  2010
The bus leaves the National Trust Headquarters (the Carnegie Building) at 8:30am
Cost: ONLY EC$25.00
BRING ALONG YOUR FAMILY & FRIENDS!
Seats are limited so be sure to book early call us at 451-2921 / 533-0752
or email us at
 svgntrust@vincysurf.com
or
svgntrust@gmail.com
SVG National Trust
Secretariat
 
LOVE YOUR COUNTRY!
Want to know more about the Cumberland Trail? See info sheet attached to this email.
 

You control climate change: Turn down. Switch off. Walk. Recycle.

Guide to SVG

http://wenku.baidu.com/view/a6d2e702de80d4d8d15a4f87.html

This is a website whose original content and ads are in Japanese, but they reprint the section about St. Vincent and the Grenadines from the Lonely Planet guidebook in english. It is better than most guides.

Garifuna On You Tube

Garifuna American Heritage Foundation United (GAHFU) invites you to view our brand new videos of our past and current events on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gahfu&aq=f These videos are not just part of GAHFU's history, as we embark on our sixth year as an organization serving our community, but they also represent a part of our continued Garifuna history that is being made every day. GAHFU is committed to our motto “Dedicated to the Preservation of Our Culture", our Garifuna culture. If you have not had the opportunity to attend any one of GAHFU's events, we invite you to come join us for a virtual cultural experience which we hope you will enjoy. We hope to see you soon at a GAHFU event.

Please share this link with family and friends.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gahfu&aq=f


Seremein,
Cheryl Noralez

No Reservations SVG

If (like I did) you fell asleep and missed Anthony Bourdain's program on St. Vincent and the Grenadines you can watch it on the internet. It may be on you tube also but it's at:

http://www.hot97svg.com/profiles/blogs/anthony-bourdain-no

Girls' High School Centenary Lecture Series

The 3rd lecture in the Girls' High School Centenary Lecture Series
takes place on Thursday, July 8, 2010.
The featured speaker is the Hon. Renee Baptiste.
Topic: The Role of Culture and Creative Arts in Society-
the Vincentian Reality.
Place: Frenches House
Time: 8:00 p.m.
You are invited to attend this lecture.
For those in the diaspora the lecture will be carried live on NBC.
http://radiotime.com/region/c_100404/Saint_Vincent-The_Grenadines.aspx

Jose Francisco Avila To Speak

Jose Francisco Avila To Speak In the Afro-Latinos in Central America and Mexico: Visibility and Identity Workshop At The 2010 Annual NCLR Conference In San Antonio  
 

 
July 7, 2010
 
 
New York, NY— The Garifuna Coalition USA, Inc. a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization announces that president Jose Francisco Avila will be a panelist in the workshop Afro-Latinos in Central America and Mexico: Visibility and Identity, presented by the Inter-American Foundation and the Afro-Latin@ Forum during the 2010 Annual NCLR (National Council of La Raza) Conference, which will be held July 10–13 in San Antonio, Texas.
 
The common perception of Mexico and the Central American republics as “mestizo” nations usually ignores the historical and contemporary presence of Africans and their descendants. Instead, the focus on the European and indigenous components has resulted in distorted and incomplete national histories and the development of identities that privilege whiteness and marginalizes and makes invisible significant portions of the region’s population. This workshop brings together a panel of scholars and activists from Central America, Mexico, and the U.S. in a discussion of historical and contemporary issues that Afro-Latin@s confront and the ways in which they are facing these challenges.
 
The session’s panel of experts will also include Dr Juan Flores Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University (NYU) and Miriam Jiménez Román, a visiting scholar in the Africana Studies Program at New York University and Executive Director of Afrolatin@ Forum, coeditors of the recently published book The Afro-Latin@ Reader: History and Culture in the United States. Dr Flores will lead the panelists in a discussion on historical and contemporary issues that Afro-Mexicans and Central Americans here and abroad confront.
 
The 2010 NCLR Annual Conference, themed “A Legacy of Service, Advancing Community,” is the preeminent event for NCLR, the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States.  
 
The NCLR Annual Conference is the largest national gathering of its kind in the Latino community, serving as the meeting ground for community leaders, activists, and elected and appointed officials; members of the corporate, philanthropic, and academic communities; and youth. Last year’s Conference in Chicago contributed millions of dollars to the city’s economy and attracted an estimated 25,000 participants.  

Archaeology Field School

Caribbean - (Volunteer) St. Vincent and the Grenadines Public Archaeology Program

Archaeology Field School Location and Dates
Application Deadline
2010-10-31
Start Date 2011-01-09
End Date 2011-02-05

Multiple Sessions YES
Multiple Session information
Volunteers can sign up for weekly sessions (Sunday to Saturday), or for multiple sessions thereof.

Archaeology Field School Location
Argyle, St. Vincent
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG)
Archaeology Field School Tuition and Credits
Sponsoring College/Institution
University of Calgary

Academic Credit
n/a

Archaeology Field School Tuition
No course credit is available at this time.

Archaeology Field School Room and Board
Included in fees, in two-bedroom apartments with full kitchens, wireless internet, free telephone to Canada, air conditioning, large patios with ocean views.

Archaeology Field School Travel
Responsibility of participant.
Additional Information on Tution/Room and Board/Travel Costs
This is a not-for-profit funding that does not have any funding from any institutions or associations. It has been put together in hopes of saving a significant archaeological site. To keep costs down, volunteers are responsible for their own airfare and course credit is not available (though we can provide a letter of participation, if necessary). Fees, inclusive of accommodations (which include above facilities), all meals, and a boat tour of the island, are $1,795 (Canadian). 

Note: as this is a not-for-profit program, if we are booked to capacity, volunteers will receive a rebate.
Archaeology Field School Description

St. Vincent is the largest of more than 30 islands that comprise St. Vincent and the Grenadines, whose closest, and more famous, neighbours are Grenada to the south, St. Lucia to the north, and Barbados to the east. St. Vincent is well known to some, being the location for filming of The Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as being a holiday destination for many celebrities who own homes in the Grenadines. Its main industry is now tourism; large cruise liners arrive in the capital of Kingstown on a regular basis. 

Construction is currently in progress for an international airport; currently, only small local planes fly in and out from neighbouring islands. The landscape of the area will be completely changed by earthworks, with major hill tops removed to fill valleys, completely changing the topography of the area.

Since construction began, a number of excavation programs have been conducted by teams from Bison Historical Services, the University of Calgary and the University of Leiden, uncovering a wealth of information that has raised numerous questions regarding the current culture history of the island, and of the Caribbean as a whole. This includes the identification of a rectangular longhouse, the first of its kind in the Caribbean, as well as numerous burials, over 700 other features, and a wealth of artifacts.

Preliminary survey of the Argyle 2 site also revealed numerous postholes, some of which appear to be in a linear pattern, as well as two burials; one appears to be that of a human in flexed position. Artifacts identified on the surface include ceramics, stone tools, beads and food remains, indicating that occupation spans from the Saladoid period to Colonial and present times. This means that Argyle 2 is potentially close to 2,000 years old.

Guests are welcome to stay longer, at the weekly fee stated above. If you would like to remain in SVG as a tourist, please do so; there is plenty to see and do in the area.
Archaeology Field School Additional Information
Archaeology Field School Type
Volunteer

Time Period
1 week to 4 weeks

Field School Setting/Conditions
Excavations will only require light physical labour, but participants should be prepared for work days in a hot tropical environment, with an average temperature of 30°C and only a mild ocean breeze from the nearby Atlantic.

How is the project area accessed each day
Volunteers will be transported by vehicle to and from the site.

What is the daily schedule for the field school
Volunteers will work excavate from Monday to Friday from approximately 8am to 2pm, after which they will process their finds in the lab, working until approximately 5pm.

Number of years this Archaeology Field School has been in operation
1
Is there a professional certification for this field school
n/a

Directors and Instructors
This project is affiliated with Dr. Richard Callaghan of the University of Calgary, and Iosif Moravetz, of Bison Historical Services Ltd., who have both worked extensively in St. Vincent in the last decade. The project itself will be run by previous team members Margarita de Guzman, Jode MacKay and Taylor Graham.

Margarita worked on SVG excavations during the 2009 and 2010 field seasons, and works in Alberta as a professional archaeologist and project manager. Margarita has a Master of Arts degree in Archaeology from the University of Durham, England, and has also worked on numerous sites throughout England, as well as Austria, Italy, Hungary and Armenia. 

Jode was a member of the 2009 excavation team, and is currently completing a Masters degree in Archaeology with the University of Calgary. Jode has extensive experience in survey, excavation and artefact analysis, having worked on numerous sites in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Ontario, as well as in Jordan.

Taylor was part of the 2009 and 2010 excavation teams, and has a special interest in stone tools, both in Alberta and SVG, with extensive experience in survey, excavation and artefact analysis. Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Archaeology, and works as a professional archaeologist throughout Alberta.

Specialized skills you will have the opportunity to learn
Excavation, artifact analysis, field survey, total station.

On rain days will there be lab work?
Yes

Will there be additional organized activities?
Yes

Will there be additional organized activities?
No

Is travel restriced during free time?
Yes


Archaeology Field School Contact Information and Website
Field School Website: http://www.svgdigs.com

Field School Contact Information

Be sure to let them know you heard about their program on ShovelBums!

Margarita de Guzman
Suite 304, 716 3 Ave NW
Calgary, AB
T2N 0J1


Field School Contact E-mail: info@svgdigs.com





http://www.shovelbums.org/index.php?option=com_sobi2&sobi2Task=sobi2Details&sobi2Id=352&Itemid=54